Winter 2021 Summary – Weeks 9-10

Wooper: Spring fever has gripped us prematurely here at Star Crossed. We all blanked on this column last week, and I nearly forgot to post it today – our anticipation for the upcoming spring season is starting to overshadow our attentiveness to this winter’s offerings. We managed to throw a little something together for today’s column, so consider it an appetizer for the final thoughts we’ll offer in a week or two.

Reincarnated As A Spider – 11

Amun: This outing of Reincarnated As A Spider is mostly a flashback…about another spooky spider: the Nightmare of the Labyrinth. Biggest takeaway is that our spider hero-chan (pun intended) isn’t the first spider to use magic and be super strong – this is apparently not that uncommon in the new world. This episode felt a lot like busy work, as it sets up the season for the finale. Still, it handled it adequately, so I have no complaints – I also don’t have any heaping praises either.

Back Arrow – 9-10

Wooper: This show moves so fast that it’s constantly catching up with itself, or else abandoning all hope of doing so. At the start of these episodes, only a handful of people in all of Lutoh are aware of Princess Fine’s split personality; by the end, the entire kingdom has seen her evil alter ego. She phases in and out of it as though someone were flipping a switch, which makes about as much sense as the origin of her duel personas: the transfused blood of a morbidly obese puppetmaster named Rudolph, who selected her to be Lutoh’s ruler. There’s so much explanation required to coordinate these sorts of developments, and since the series is full of them, that means its scripts are bursting with expository dialogue. Back Arrow is so absurd that its attempts at rationalization are usually pretty funny, but I actually prefer when the show breaks its own rules with no explanation at all. Arrow’s Briheight growing wings and turning into a sword at various points throughout episode 10 are prime examples. It doesn’t make sense on a mechanical level, but neither does anything else, so we’ve got no choice but to accept it and move on (or else drop the show, which I suspect most people have done already).

Gotoubon no Hanayome S2 – 9

Mario: Forgive my ignorance but somehow I missed the episode 10 airing so I am one step below the line this week. Episode 9 has all the girls looking for jobs, and it still pushes hard for Miku – Nino angle. The show does highlight Futaro’s awkwardness towards Nino (who confessed to him in the last few episodes), but I found the way they framed it visually is pretty lacking – throughout the whole conversation with Nino, it looks as if Futaro is a nobody, which feels really weird. Ichika drops the bomb at the end, and I must say it’s a bit sly and desperate the way she does, but I guess it’s on Futaro since he still can’t tell apart these sisters in the first place. The race to obtain Futaro is still going busy, doesn’t matter if he’s worth it or not.

Yuru Camp – 8

Wooper: I’m now two weeks behind on Yuru Camp, but I felt compelled to say something about this episode. Nadeshiko’s first solo camp may not have been a formative outing – her easygoing nature would have made that sort of story a tough sell – but it was a nostalgia bomb for me as a viewer. I remember cooking veggies in aluminum foil on my childhood camping trips, which means that after 20 episodes, I’ve finally seen one of my memories reflected in Yuru Camp’s stable of camp activities. Nadeshiko’s offer to share her potatoes and eggplants with some younger girls got them to put aside their laptop, too, which put me in mind of all the Capture the Flag I played with other kids instead of staying glued to my Gameboy Color. Until this episode, I’ve mostly appreciated Yuru Camp for its scenery, educational value, and lifelike characters, but now I’ve got a personal connection to the show, however small it may be. That makes it a little more engaging, which is great – now if only the show would ditch its recurring ‘Rin on a motorcycle’ CG model, I might be able to stay immersed for a full 20 minutes.

Heaven’s Design Team

Lenlo: Hey everyone! Sorry about this but watching/writing for Design-Bu totally slipped my mind this week between work and moving. I’ll definitely be back next week to talk about our favorite side-show but for now just know we haven’t forgotten about it!

Amun: I just want to say that this has been one of my favorite feel-good shows of the season. There were a lot of other B-tier shows (Kemono Jihen and Ore Dake Haireru) that disappointed, but Heaven’s Design Team has been strong.

Shounen Onmyouji
[Classic Show] – 16-18

Mario: It’s interesting to see how in this single arc there are branches of new developments that are growing from its roots. While last week Masahiro dealt with a vengeful spirit, this time he encounters, or more like being possessed by, a wandered spirit filled with sadness. It’s one interesting plot thread as the show provides more varied spirits and the resolution is heart-warming. At the same time, the biggest development in terms of emotional core is how Masahiro learns about Mokkun’s past and that Mokkun finally opens up to Masahiro. They are having such a solid bond right now. At the same time, the antagonist is revealed to be Ryuusai, who previously had a beef against Seimei. I suppose Mizune will eventually come around, as in these episodes it’s clear that she’s being manipulated by the monster Ryuusai. Seimei shikigami starts to open up to Masahiro and especially to Mokkun now, which is a great sign.

Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma
[Classic Show] – 5-6

Mario: Thankfully, after struggling a bit in episode 3 & 4, the new batch of Emma finds the show finding its footing again where it moves away from Hakim to focus on other characters. Episode 5 lovingly emphasises on the backstory of Mrs Stownar with its keen eyes for details and it becomes my favorite episode of Emma so far. We gradually learn about her previous marriage when she was 18, and became a widow at a tender age of 20. We get to see how she holds the memory of her late husband dearly, while also we get a bitter sense of how short her time was with her husband. Coupled that with her lifelong friendship with Al, and the necklace and we have a good sense of who Mrs Stownar is in just a mere 20 minutes. Magnificent.

Episode 6 provides the biggest hurdle for Emma/William as William’s father enters the picture and we all know for sure that he won’t ever approve their relationship. There isn’t a single time where he looks at Emma’s eyes, and while I feel it’s tad bit obvious the way he says his view on classism in front of Emma and Mrs. Stownar, it’s necessary as a heavy blow to both our protagonists. I’m looking forward to see how these two deal with it.